Mike Outlaw continued his rise to be one of the top young talents in the Midwest in 2016 by seeking out the toughest competition he could find. Starting the year off Outlaw challenged Brandon Espinosa in a hard core match before setting his sights to St. Louis Anarchy. Though Outlaw would struggle in the win department at SLA, he quickly earned the respect and love of their passionate fan base.

He would team up with Justin D’Air in a tag team classic at High Risk Wrestling against the Riegel Twins (Logan & Sterling) for the vacated Tag Team Championship. Due to the loss, the two friends quickly became enemies that were set for a brutal ending later in the year.

Outlaw, a former Dynamo Pro Wrestling Champion would set his sights on regaining the title against his archrival Jake Dirden. During this time he entered the WLW Jr. Championship tournament, losing to Jayden Fenix, who would go on to lose to Jon Webb in the finals.

In June, Outlaw would enter the High Risk Wrestling Mayhem tournament defeating Jake Dirden in the first round. In the triple threat finals, Outlaw won the championship over former PWI Rookie of the YearAce Hawkins and Kiyoshi Shizuka.

In July, he challenged MWR Missouri Champion Brandon Espinosa at MMWA in a hard fought contest, just coming up short. Two weekends later, Outlaw earned the biggest win of his young career when he pinned Ring of Honor superstar Delirious. In August, Outlaw, would add his second Dynamo Pro Wrestling title to his resume by defeating Jake Dirden. A title he would hold until December when Brandon Aarons. Outlaw would end the year losing a thrilling last man standing match against D’air at High Risk Wrestling.

Outlaw would wrestle throughout the Midwest for Dynamo Pro, Saint Louis Anarchy, PWCS, MMWA, Proving Ground, WIA, New Breed Pro, Metro Pro, High Risk Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Resurgence . He would have killer matches with the likes of Davey Vega, Gary Jay and fellow young star Kevin Lee Davidson. His hard work would pay off as he now heads into 2017 as a full time NWL contracted superstar, now named Dez Wellston.

2015 MWR AwardsWrestler: Jeremy Wyatt

2014 MWR Year AwardsWrestler: Ricky Cruz

2013 MWR Year AwardsWrestler: Jake Dirden

2012 MWR Year AwardsWrestler: Adam Pearce

2011 MWR Year AwardsWrestler: Brandon Espinosa

2010 MWR Year AwardsWrestler: Mike Sydal

2009 AwardsWrestler: Mark Sterling

2008 AwardsWrestler: Jeremy Wyatt

Look for an exclusive MWR Mike Outlaw / Dez Wellston exclusive artwork honoring him for his achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.

If you would like to sponsor the MWR Wrestler of the Year Plaque for Outlaw/ Wellston then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is $50.00 and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.

I would like for you to take a look at the finalist for this years 2016 MWR Wrestler. Each and every year it is important to understand that it is not about who we believe is the best wrestlers today or about wins and losses…..but it is. Tricky right?

There is no fool proof way about deciding on who should be the MWR Wrestler and Tag Team of the year but one thing is for sure is that each of them have had a phenomenal year just to be considered. We are looking for that wrestler and tag team that made an impact within his promotions by wrestling in huge crowds, winning titles and capturing the imagination of fans alike.
Below are the 2016 Promotions that we covered and the stats are from.

The Ego Busters (Jake Dirden, Brandon Espinosa, Danny Adams, & Adrian Surge)(w/ Greg Jovi) def. The Resurgence (Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett, Paco Gonzalez, & Jason Roberts) in an elimination tag match to win the Season 3 Championship. Eliminations: Roberts eliminated Espy when Paco superkicked Espy to break up a brainbuster, allowing Roberts to reverse into a guillotine hold for the surprise tapout (4:15). Surge got a surprise rollup on Roberts to eliminate him (4:30). Fitchett pinned Surge with a Michinoku Driver (5:03). Dirden BOOTed Paco behind the referee’s back, allowing Adams to eliminate him after a reverse Stunner (15:22). Dirden pinned Fitchett after a discus Polish Hammer (17:35). Vega went toe-to-toe with Dirden and finally put him down for the count with a pump kick (21:52*). Vega thought he’d won, but Adams had been laying low on the floor; Jovi distracted Vega and Adams caught him with the reverse Stunner for a near-fall.

10/27/2016 – Pro Wrestling Phoenix – Omaha, Nebraska
Pat Powers def. Zac James in a Top of the Polls MatchPat Powers def. Branden Juarez to win the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Championship after cashing in his Top of the Polls Contract.

“Dirdey” Jake Dirden to defend the PGP Franchise Title for the Final Time

Win…Lose… or Draw….The only 2 time and longest reigning Franchise champion in PGP history will put the belt on the line for the final time in the Proving Ground on December 17th at MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET….. The NWL has signed Jake ( Jack Foster in NWL) to an exclusive contract starting in January of 2017. We at Proving Ground Pro feel that they made a wise decision and wish a huge success in the future for both the NWL and Jack Foster (Jake Dirden). It all comes down to this, Jake Dirden retires as champion or passes the torch to “BuckNasty” Bucky Collins, either way you’ll be witness to Proving Ground Pro history in the making at MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET.

December 17th history is made at the Lawford Theater (225 W Main Street, Havana, IL) with MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET … Doors open at 6:30 PM and the MIRACLE starts at 7 PM. $12 adults and $7 kids or save a couple bucks with $10 adult and $5 kids advance tickets are available in Havana (at Grandpa’s Diner) and Petersburg (at Huebner Tire or Styles & More). If you can’t get to an advance ticket outlet message us on social media (Proving Ground Pro on Facebook and @pgpwrestling on Twitter) and we’ll get you hooked up.

Tag Team Title Match Signed For MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET

December 17th sees the return of PGP Tag Team champions Alpha Class (Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez) to the Lawford Theater (225 W Main Street, Havana, IL) for another title defense. The astounding rise of Alpha Class has become the stuff of legend in the Proving Ground showing just how high you can climb with talent, hard work and determination. Speaking of legends, once upon a time the amazing Krotch pulled off perhaps the most improbable victory in PGP history by defeating the massive Nate Redwing and earning a shot at the PGP Tag Team Titles. It took a while and the titles have changed hands since Krotch started his search….But Krotch has contacted us and will cash in with Dante Leon as his partner versus Alpha Class at MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET. This will be high octane offense and sizzling speed on display in this potential show stealing match up that needs to be seen by you…Yeah, YOU…..BE THERE!!!

Stephen Wolf vs Timmy Lou Retton To Decide Buckley Entrant at MIRACLE

December 17th (Saturday) will be a classic night in the Proving Ground when MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET presents this mind blowing Buckley Memorial Tournament qualifying match…”Leader of the Pack” Stephen Wolf damn near beat Jake Dirden for the Franchise title at our last show, although he came up short Wolf once again showed he’s ready for prime time. Timmy Lou Retton is a star on the rise with one of the most entertaining styles of wrestling you can find. Blending a dynamic high flying gymnastic based assault with impressive mat skills has forced both fans and opponents to take notice of the impressive Retton. Timmy has collected hardware and found his way to several main events already in his career, now he’s looking to put a Buckley Tournament entry on his resume as well. If you’re a fan of independent wrestling “Dream Matches” then Stephen Wolf versus Timmy Lou Retton is an early Merry Christmas present because you can’t wrap awesomeness….Oxygen masks and flight suits may be mandatory for this match….SONIC BOOM!!!

Plus so much more.

For big deal moments in independent professional wrestling… ENTER THE PROVING GROUND!!!

Jackal vs. “The Caramel Bear” C.J. Shine: The fans were NOT fond of Shine, despite the fact that this was supposed to be an opener between fan favorites. Shine outwrestled Jackal in the early minutes of the match, leading to a danceoff that seemed to go in Jackal’s favor (if you asked the average person in the stands). Shine upset Jackal at the 4 Hands Brewery show last month, so this was a rematch from that particular encounter…in Jackal’s defense, he had just been through a tough matchup with Jake Dirden(the week prior) and Shine was fresh for that bout. Jackal rallied and went for the Killswitch #2 (turnbuckle-walk Tomakazi/Unprettier), but Shine blocked the move and threw him off. Jackal charged at Shine and got caught in a small package for the flash pin in 8:22.

“The Alternative” Ozzie Gallagher(sporting his new shorter hair) made his way to the ring; he had been M.I.A. since the mask-vs.-hair match with Makaze in mid-September. To say the least, his year didn’t turn out as he had planned…but he vowed to get his payback on both Makaze and The Bite Club(Rocket Mapache & Jackal) and to refocus his career in 2017. No match for Gallagher…perhaps next time.

Tag Team Champion “The Valedictorian” Keon Option(w/ Justin D’Air) vs. Rocket Mapache(w/ Jackal): Speaking of The Bite Club, the other half of the team was in action here. D’Air is still recovering from a recent knee injury. I hope to watch the D-1 Title match from last week in Wood River between Outtkast and Rocket; I heard great things about that matchup. Hopefully this will lead to a Tag Title feud between the teams…that part seems to naturally follow as Rocket & Jackal had several near-misses for the belts but never quite won them. The match could have easily gone either way, but Option took it with an axe kick in 6:33. More Mutual Respect(tm) occurred, but Jackal made it clear that they Wanted Da Belts(tm).

Outtkast vs. Makaze for the D-1 Title: Both guys have impressive championship resumes; both men were GCW Light Heavyweight Champions and Outtkast was GCW and Dynamo Tag Champ with “The Don Mega” Shorty Biggs. Makaze briefly held the NWA Missouri Title when it was the top belt in Dynamo Pro; literally on the show when they transitioned from that belt to the current Dynamo Heavyweight Title, he lost it back to K.C. Karrington. Both are veterans in the area and continue to plug away amidst a ton of younger guys, so they brought out the heavy artillery in this championship bout.

I’ve known Outtkast to take crazy amounts of punishment over the years and this was no exception; Makaze caught him with a Death Valley Driver onto the edge of the ring apron! Makaze tried to follow up with a plancha but the titleholder moved out of the way…then Outtkast went to the top rope for a corkscrew moonsault to the floor! Outtkast hit the floor with a thud that was audible throughout the building…ouch. Understandably it took both men some time to collect themselves, but they made it back into the ring and kept on going. Makaze nearly won with his signature Kyouhen(Sharpshooter) and Outtkast barely made it to the ropes. Makaze delivered a Death Valley Driver off the top rope(!) that left both men down…but out of nowhere, Outtkast connected with the Case Study to retain his title in 16:34! It was a tremendous matchup between two guys who I’ve known for most of their respective careers…yes, more Mutual Respect(tm) took place.

Brandon Espinosa vs. “The Incredible Primal Prodigy” Matt Kenway (Look At Him) for the Missouri Wrestling Revival Missouri Title: Surprisingly, Espinosa was the fan favorite in this matchup…both guys have played different roles in area promotions. One of Espy’s favorite tactics in recent months has been to emulate WWE finishers and sequences, so he tried to start off fast with two spears and a Jackhammer(a la Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series); Kenway escaped the Jackhammer setup and bailed out of the ring.

Targeting the arm has been one of Espinosa’s strategies in recent times, but Kenway attempted to use the same tactic against Espy. Kenway brought a chair into the ring and wedged it between the turnbuckles, but it never quite came into play during the matchup…darn you, Chekhov’s Folding Chair! (Thanks A-Top.) It took several tries, but Espinosa was finally able to lock on the cross-armbreaker…Kenway didn’t surrender, but Espy appeared to severely injury Kenway’s arm and the referee called for a stoppage in 18:40! It looked like Kenway’s elbow had been dislocated and he seemingly popped it back into place on the ring ropes…eep.

There would be no Mutual Respect(tm) HERE as Kenway snapped, bashing Espinosa repeatedly with the aforementioned chair(THERE’S our Chekhov’s Gun)…it would be Espy’s old tag team partner turned rival Ricky Cruz who would run off Kenway after the match. (In fact, Espinosa won the MWR Missouri Title from Cruz.) The two didn’t QUITE seem to be on friendly terms, but Cruz and Espy parted ways without incident.

“The King Of Chaos” Ricky Cruz vs. “The Intelligent Dirdey Monster” Jake Dirden: This was a farewell for both men for different reasons; Ricky is retiring at the end of the year and this was his last Midwest match. (He will face El Mesias, aka Mil Muertes, at Galli Lucha Libre in Chicago for his final bout.) Cruz came to the St. Louis area a few years ago for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance, then later competed for Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling and held their Classic Title. He would go on to compete for Dynamo Pro, holding their Heavyweight and Tag Team Titles(with Espinosa) as well as the MWR Missouri Title. These two have had many battles(eleven, per Ricky) and the feud did a lot to elevate Dirden in the eyes of the fans, propelling him to the Dynamo Pro Heavyweight and Tag Titles(with Jackal). He also appeared in Ring Of Honor’s Top Prospect Tournament in 2015, losing in the first round to eventual winner Donovan Dijak. Dirden is on his way to the NWL as “Jack Foster“, so this was his last match for DPW.

Ricky got streamers for his entrance and asked Dirden for a technical matchup so they could go out on a positive note…but it didn’t take long for the match to devolve into an all-out fight.

Both guys threw their biggest bombs for this final counter and neither would stay down for very long…it took a grand total of four superkicks for Cruz to finally score the decisive victory in 14:58!

Afterwards, Ricky and Jake both said their farewells as the locker room emptied to applaud their efforts!

Mike Outlaw vs. Brandon Aarons for the Heavyweight Title: These guys had a tough act to follow but they brought their A games; they’d crossed paths a few times in the past with Outlaw getting the upper hand in those bouts. They had a strong main-event matchup and the fans seemed to be slightly in favor of Outlaw (despite both men being fan favorites).

Outlaw’s Mafia Kick only got a two-count…then the High Noon(top-rope elbowdrop) only got a near-fall as well. Outlaw lost his composure (not a common thing for him) and brought a chair into the ring, going so far as to push the referee away when the official tried to stop him. Outlaw swung with the chair, but Aarons dodged and the chair rebounded off the top rope to smack Outlaw in the head. Aarons took advantage of the opportunity with a flurry of offense:

Go 2 Sleep, Hairflip(half-nelson) Suplex, and finally a Shining Wizard…and that earned Aarons the Dynamo Pro Heavyweight Title in 14:00!

Outlaw was distraught over the match outcome and grabbed the title belt away from the ref, but presented it to Aarons and raised his hand. After that, Outlaw dropped his own bombshell: He was leaving Dynamo Pro as well (for NWL)!
Outlaw said his farewells to the promotion and wrestlers who got him started in the business and the roster came out for another round of applause.

Fans entered the building to receive free NWL KC T-shirts, bumper stickers, and merchandise. They were also welcome to come to the NWL booth to sign up for NWL e-mail updates and purchase tickets for the Jan 7th debut of the NWL at the Scottish Rite Temple .

Chris Gough thanked everyone for their support throughout the years including the fans, wrestlers Turner Rec Staff and Metro Pro Wrestling crew.

He introduced the NWL owner Major Baisden. Baisden welcomed everyone to come out and support NWL in both KC and STL as they are looking to take wrestling in the Midwest to a new level. He then asked to have Metro Pro Wrestling Commissioner Michael Strider to come to the ring. Baisden addressed the near riot at St. Louis Anarchy in November that was led by Strider and fellow NWL KC. Baisden had told Strider NOT to go to STL on that night and for interrupting Davey Vega’s title belt celebration with the chaos, he was FIRED.

Jeremy Wyatt defeated Sterling Riegel – Santa Claus Came to the ringside then attacked Logan Riegel and helped Wyatt win the match. Afterwards Santa unmasked to reveal that he was Micahel Stider. A unholy alliance was made when Wyatt shook hands sending a warning to the NWL that the KC legends were back.

Redwing defeated Ace Steel in a lumberjack match with special referee Lucy Mendez for the Metro Pro Wrestling Central States Championship.

Jake Dirden came out to celebrate with Redwing only to ambush and lay him out with a big boot with team NWL STL right behind. NWL KC came out for the save and the end of era in Kansas City closed the door on Metro Pro Wrestling .

When Ricky Cruz told me recently that he was calling it a career for some reason I just did not compute that it would actually happen. Maybe I was in denial. Time passed and to be honest I had forgotten all about it till I was having breakfast at Denny’s with my friends Ben Simon, Patrick Brandmeyer and Gary Weiss and it was one of the main topics this past Friday night.

To say that Ricky Cruz was influential in the Midwest since his debut in 2011 would be an understatement. One of the top stars in his country of Puerto Rico, fans quickly fell in love with not only the wrestling skills that Cruz possessed but the rare charisma that only a few are blessed with. In fact other than Brandon Espinosa and Jeremy Wyatt there most likely is no other wrestler that I photographed or wrote their name on our site more throughout his time in the Midwest, than “The King of Chaos”, Ricky Cruz.

There is no doubt that his feuds and matches with the likes of Ron Powers, Jeremy Wyatt, Adam Pearce, and Jake Dirden will be remembered for years to come. More than once I have seen a crowd that was dead for one reason or another come alive as Cruz was able to establish a connection with them and get them to their feet.

Cuz always took the time to help other young stars in the area along the way with advice in and out of the ring. Though I have mentioned it more than once already it can’t be stated enough the connection that Ricky Cruz had with his fans, young and old. As a photographer he made my job FUN and easy when it was time to get that awesome photo of a wrestler with his fans, before, during and after the matches. If I only had a dollar each time a fan asked for me to take their photo with him through the years I could take December off.

He would go on to star for almost every respectable company in the MWR Coverage area, winning titles and being named the 2014 MWR Wrestler of the Year. We were also honored to have him be a part of the first series of the MWR Trading card set at number #78.

When Ben Simon came up with the idea of having a MWR Missouri Title, Ricky Cruz became the first ever champion when he defeated Jake Dirden. I am forever grateful that he took pride in carrying the title that had the MWR name throughout the state of Missouri. We had so much fun through his reign working with several top promotions and wrestlers along the way.

On a personal level, the future Mrs. Brian Kelley, (Dubray) and I will always consider Ricky a dear friend.

This Saturday I hope that you join me as we say farewell to Ricky Cruz as he takes on his arch rival Jake Dirden one last time at Dynamo Pro Wrestling at the Ready Room on Saturday night.

I leave you with Ricky Cruz’s final goodbye through social media, but it will be so much sweeter for you to say goodbye to him in person.

By the way Ricky if you decide to renege on this announcement afterwards I am all for it.

Cruz can’t lose.

Brian Kelley – Missouri Wrestling Revival Owner and Editor

Thank you!!

Since May 2011 I’ve had the opportunity to be here in the mid-west doing what I love, WRESTLING. It’s been great to have the chance to entertain the fans and work with so many talented people.

I wanted to take a minute before this 2 last matches and thank the people that have help me and encourage me to continue doing what I love when I thought I would never set foot in a ring ever again. When I came to St. Louis I was injured and I was never to wrestle again or at least that’s what I was told by my Dr. but that wasn’t the case.

As I was getting better I had the chance to meet Keith Smith and Tony Costa, two gentleman that has been in wrestling forever. They gave me a place to train and later on my first opportunity to come back to the ring. For that I will forever be grateful.

Also thanks to Herb Simmons because he gave me a chance to do great things at SICW. Even when we don’t see eye to eye in a couple of things this days I still appreciate the opportunity and the faith he had in me and my work. I hope one day we can seat at Steak and Shake like we use to and talk wrestling.

I have to thank all the veterans that helped in any way, Keith, Chester, Gary, Pete, for all the advice and their comments. Thank you for helping me be better at this craft.

To Dynamo Pro

For giving me a home, a family, and a purpose. It has been an amazing journey with the group and I will definitely miss the shows. Jim Yount, don’t ever quit, don’t ever slow down, you have something really special in your hands.

Crystal Yount my big sis, thank you for always being the voice of reason, for always believing in me and always care about was going on with me. You are family to me!

To the Dynamo staff

From the announcers, photographer, merchandise tables, security, Door, everybody, I will miss hanging out all the time. thanks for the good times!

To my family

Thank you for always keeping me going, for the support and for showing up and surprising me at the shows, it always meant a lot to me

Amanda, what can I say, my corner stone, you being there at every show made it so much bigger. Thank you for not only supporting me but for living the wrestling life with me, the pains, the road trips, the endless nights, the merch table, the driving, the weeks away from each other, the sacrifices and the Iron Skillets hehehe

To the boys

Thank you for the training sessions, the road trips, the stories the laughs and the matches. It’s been amazing to spend all this time with you guys. I love you all! Except you Espy…… hehehe
To the guys like Espy, Dirden, Outlaw, Wyatt, Shorty, Dingo, Pearce, Noriega, Discovery, Barry HP, it was an honor and a privilege to be in the ring with you. Thank you for making me look better than I am hehehe!

To MWR

Thank you for covering my matches, for the pics, and for the awards. Thanks to you I always had pics to send my son. Thanks Brian!!

Thank you for the opportunity, the respect and the chance to perform in front of the crowds.
To the fans thank you for always supporting me, for buying my merch, for screaming and chanting and making it fun for me. I’m truly grateful for all of it.

As we teased last night, the league has decided that in 2017 it is time to introduce a bench mark of singles excellence. This singles champion will serve as a MVP of sorts. It’s holder will be recognized as the best singles wrestler in PWCS. He will be the most valuable wrestler in the league, and assuredly receive secure contracts and bonuses from his team.

The championship will honor not only the past St. Louis Anarchy champions, but all the great champions of the St. Louis area indies of the past. The areas rich history will be honored by the Gateway Heritage Champion.

After his efforts to defeat Gary Jay and Mat Fitchett we recognize Davey Vega as the first Gateway Heritage Champion. We are honored to carry on this rich history.

PWCS Mega Ticket 2016
The 2015 Mega-Ticket combined two companies together for a huge celebration of independent wrestling. 2016, PWCS keeps the celebration alive by combining its two biggest and wildest events into one night of action!

The 2016 Mega-Ticket event will see 6 “Wild Card Stage” matches. These six matches will determine which two teams will top the standings at the end of the night. Instead of waiting until January for those two teams to square off though, they will immediately determine the 2016 PWCS Champion that night in the Main Event!

Add in Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin, and Pierre Abernathy’s last singles match versus Gary Jay and you have a night that can only be called the 2016 PWCS Mega-Ticket!